Archive for the ‘Weight Gain/Loss’ Category

Easy Weight Loss Tips

Thursday, July 8th, 2010

Hey Everyone:

This was an email I received from someone marketing a weight loss product.  I thought the tips given here were useful and I wanted to share them with my readers.  They are mostly common ones that you may or may not have heard about before - but in case you needed a reminder or some guidelines to follow for weight loss I thought these might be helpful :-)


Tired of trying to lose weight, but never lasting more than a few days?

You are not alone!  Weight loss does not happen overnight.  It is not always easy.  Here is the first tip we want to share with you today…

Small Changes = Weight Loss!

Successful weight loss depends on the combination of eating healthy, exercise, and change.

Starting a new work out routine? That`s a change.

Starting a new diet plan? That`s a change.

An important change many of us forget, however, is the change of our environment.

What do I mean?

Well, it is important to change our environment and surroundings in order to encourage weight loss and healthy living.

So, what kind of changes am I talking about?…Here are a few examples:

  • Make your work-out clothes easily accessible
  • Switch our your large dinner plates for smaller dinner plates to encourage smaller portions
  • Turn off the TV and computer during meal time
  • Re-arrange cupboards so that healthy foods are easily accessible and the junk food is hard to reach
  • Better yet, get rid of all junk food!
  • Create 100 calorie snack packs using ziplocks for easy to grab and go snacks
  • Cut up all fruit and vegetables when you get home from the grocery store so that they are easy to grab
  • Plan meals for the week so that you don`t cave and order take-out when you can`t think of what to cook
  • Turn off the TV one hour before bed to relax and get ready for sleep
  • Join a running group, an exercise class to keep you motivated and on task


By making these changes, you will be on your way to successful weight loss.  I hope these tips are helfful for you.

Best of Luck!


Peter

How To Gain Weight With A Fast Metabolism - Success vs. Failure Depends On This

Friday, December 25th, 2009

Gaining weight is something that most people don’t want to do.  In fact, the majority of the population is overweight and should be trying to lose weight.  If you are the so called “hardgainer” then you likely want to know how to gain weight with a fast metabolism. This article can help.

To gain weight and build muscle, in principle is really very simple.  You have to consume more calories than you burn off and you have to lift weights using the principle of progressive overload and avoid overtraining.  How simple is that?  Sounds good on paper but how can you do this?

The first thing to do when answering how to gain weight with a fast metabolism is to eat more calories per day than you burn off.  Not just any calories though.  Just because you have a tendency to burn off fat doesn’t mean you should eat whatever you want (I’m talking about fast food, chips, candy, etc).  Your diet needs to consist of high quality carbs, proteins and healthy fats.  These are the nutrients that will support healthy weight gain and keep you from getting ill in the long run.

1.  In order to start you need to determine how many calories you burn per day.  Do this by searching the web for a calorie calculator or counter.  There are many free ones available.  Go through the process and once you have the number of calories burned per day plan your diet to consume 300 to 500 extra calories per day.  So if the calculator gave you a number of 2000 then you want to eat 2500 calories per day.

2.  To eat that many calories you will need to space your meals out every 2 to 3 hours.  You have to eat 6 small meals per day, not three huge ones.  A meal could consist of a piece of fruit or a protein shake.  It doesn’t have to be a sit down dinner.  The point is eat frequently throughout the day so your body has an adequate supply of nutrients to feed off of. If you skip a meal your body will need to get nutrients somewhere.  It will usually go after fat and muscle tissue then.  You don’t want this to happen.  Keep eating.

3.  You have to get into the habit of counting your calories and checking your weight.  Once you’ve increased your caloric intake by 300 to 500 calories per day weigh yourself once a week.  If you haven’t gained any weight after a week or two then add another 300 to 500 calories until you do gain weight.

4.  You will need to add weight training to your routine if you haven’t already.  This is critical for building muscle mass and adding pounds.  Your workouts should be kept to three times per week, 45 minutes to an hour and should consist of basic, mass building exercises.  These types of exercises include squats, deadlifts, bench press, military press, bent over rows, biceps and tricep curls.  Certainly add in calf raises and abdominal work.  Eliminate “shaping” type exercises until you achieve the desired weight and size you are looking for.

That is the answer to how to gain weight with a fast metabolism.  It’s really not that complicated.  Where most people fail is with their follow through.  They don’t see results as quickly as they like so they give up or they don’t make the necessary adjustments to their diet or workouts.  This process is an ever changing one and you have to monitor the effects of what you are doing.  If they aren’t working you must change something.

Finding the right system regarding how to gain weight with a fast metabolism is imperative if you want to gain weight and build muscle. See how “Skinny Vinny” overcame his horrible genes and packed on over 41 pounds of rock hard muscle in 6 months:

Gain Weight With A Fast Metabolism

Natural Weight Gain - Some Say It Can’t Be Done

Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009

Gain or losing weight can be difficult for some people.  Struggling with weight loss is evident as there is an obesity epidemic in this country.  Although the majority of people have a greater problem losing weight there are those that can’t seem to gain any weight.  It is fair to say that both of these groups of people want to feel better about themselves by changing the way they look.  This article will address why some say natural weight gain can’t be done.

Why do some people have trouble gaining weight, the so called hardgainer?  There are many reasons to explain this but here are the top three:

1.  Poor nutrition - most thin people simply aren’t eating enough or often enough.  Certain foods promote healthy, natural weight gain while others work against this.  Protein is essential in gaining weight.  If you aren’t getting enough protein you probably won’t gain substantial weight.  You want to strive to gain quality weight, not fat.  So simply stuffing yourself with any kind of food that you want (like junk foods, fast foods, candy) is not the answer.  You need quality calories to gain quality weight.

2.  Working Out - in addition to eating properly you will need to work out - specifically lifting weights.  This type of exercise will help convert your caloric intake into muscle mass.

3.  Lack of Motivation - you haven’t found the “emotional” triggers that will force you to stick to your plan to put on natural weight gain. To just say you are going to do it may not be enough.  What will force you to stay motivated?

Here are a few tips that you can use to help with your natural weight gain:

1.  Eat more quality calories per day.  The amount of calories you eat has to be at least equal your basal metabolic rate so that you don’t lose weight.  Once you know that you can add 300 to 500 calories per day until you reach your desired weight.

2.  Resistance training - you have to lift weights to help keep your fat retention to a minimum as well as to tone and strengthen your muscles.  Lifting weights aids in natural weight gain because muscle weighs more than fat.  So the more developed your muscles are the heavier you will be.

Gaining weight naturally doesn’t have to be complicated.  It does require some basic knowledge and desire.  If you put these tips into practice you will start to gain weight.

Natural weight gain can be achieved if you practice the basics.  Don’t attempt a weight gaining diet program until you see this…Natural Weight Gain

Body Building Routines - How To Gain Lean Muscle Weight

Saturday, October 10th, 2009

Most people start working out to lose weight.  A comprehensive workout strategy will help you lose weight but at the same time it should also incorporate methods to build muscle.  A good body building routine that answers the question how to gain lean muscle weight is absolutely necessary in preparing your body to burn fat and build muscle.

Developing a rock solid physique takes planning.  There are certain steps that you must take in order to gain lean muscle weight.  You have to take consistent and daily action to achieve your goals.  Here are three main areas that you can start in:

1.  Nutrition: If you want to gain lean muscle weight then you have eat the right amount calories.  Not just “empty calories” but foods that contain muscle building nutrients.  If you want to build muscle you have to eat more.  The body needs proper calories in order to rebuild muscles after your workouts.  If you are feeding them junk or not enough calories in the first place then your muscles don’t stand a chance in getting bigger and stronger.

In order to gain lean muscle weight you have to take in more calories than you burn off in a day.  You can go online and search for a metabolic or calorie calculator.  This will help you determine how many calories (on average) you might burn in a day.  Then all you have to do is adjust your food intake so that your calories in exceed the calories that you burn.  I like to add 300 to 500 calories at a time and then see what happens.  If I’m not gaining weight I increase the calories again.  If I gain too much I decrease them.

2.  Weight Training: Lifting heavy weight for lower reps is one of the best ways to gain lean muscle weight.  Keeping your muscles shocked with overload forces them to grow bigger.  Focus on increasing your weights so the number of reps you can achieve per set averages between 4 to 6.  You should feel your muscles working with each and every repetition.  Use a training partner to help you squeeze out those last few reps when you have to.  To grow big muscles you have to lift big weights.

3.  Cardiovascular Training: If you are going to devote your time and energy to eating right and lifting weights to build a massive and lean physique then you don’t want your efforts to go to waste.  You have to add cardio to your workouts if you want to maximize your body’s fat burning potential. Cardio will not only help you burn off unwanted body fat but it will build your endurance so you can lift weights with greater intensity and less chance of burnout.

Gaining lean muscle weight does take time.  It can be a slow process but the results are well worth it.  You can make the process that much easier if you follow the suggestions outlined in this article.

Gaining lean muscle weight is a slow process.  It takes commitment and dedication.  A well devised plan doesn’t hurt either. Get one here:

Gain Muscle Naturally

Body Building Routines - Muscle Building Diet

Saturday, October 10th, 2009

When we think of starting a body building routine most of us think of lifting weights.  We focus on what we are going to do in the gym - how much weight we will lift and how much cardio we will do.  Diet is often an afterthought.  It shouldn’t be though.  Your diet is just as important as the workouts you are doing if you plan to achieve any level of success as a weight lifter, bodybuilder or simply in becoming healthier.

If your goal is to build muscle then you need to eat the right kinds of foods.  You will make much better use of your time in the gym if you are fueling your body with the proper nutrients.

All of the foods that you eat will contain macronutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats.  Your fat intake should be about 20% of your total.  The fats that you eat should be of the mono and polyunsaturated kinds.  Not saturated or trans fats.

Larger quantities of proteins are needed to help build muscle mass.  Proteins should be about 30 to 40% of your daily intake. Quality protein comes from lean beef, chicken, fish and egg whites.

Carbohydrates make up the rest of your nutritional intake.  These should be about 50 to 60% of your muscle building diet.  You want the mainstay of your carbs to be complex and starchy carbs.  Vegetables, oats, brown rice, whole grain foods, etc. Foods such as those made with refined flour and sugars should be avoided.  These include snack foods, cookies, cakes, white bread, desserts, etc.  Stick with the good carbs.

A comprehensive body building routine with a muscle building diet involves how and when you eat as much as it does what you eat.  You should be eating 5 to 6 small meals a day.  Each meal should be broken down into the percentages listed above: 50% to 60% carbs, 30% to 40% proteins and 20% fats.  This will feed your body a constant source of nutrients to help get you through your workouts as well as repair muscle breakdown during your rest periods.

If you truly want to develop a physique to be proud of it is critical that you work on your dietary habits as much as you do in the gym.  Weight lifting and cardio are only part of the picture.  A muscle building diet is the final piece of the puzzle.

Discover the secrets of packing on pounds of quality lean muscle while shedding bodyfat.  Eliminate the guesswork by clicking here now:

Muscle Building Diet

Body Building Routines - How To Build MORE Muscle

Saturday, October 10th, 2009

Building muscle has become a craze for many young men and women across the world.  Those that are new to the sport of weightlifting or bodybuilding seek out body building routines in hopes to find better, quicker and perhaps easier way to build more muscle.  This article will offer tips and guidance as to what you can do to achieve your muscle building goals.

You are probably already aware that several factors impact a persons ability to build more muscle.  These include your own strength, consistency of working out, your eating habits and nutrition.  All of these things combined will determine how efficiently you can develop lean muscle mass.

Never underestimate the power of nutrition in your training program.  It is easy to think that all you have to do is lift weights and do some cardio to develop the physique that you want.  If you aren’t feeding your body the right kinds of nutrients then you will be spinning your wheels.  I mean you wouldn’t put a low grade fuel in a high performance race car, would you?  Same with your body.  If you want to get bigger and stronger, leaner and ripped you need to fuel your body with well balanced foods and nutrients throughout the day.

If you are just starting out you probably are reading the muscles mags that outline what the professional bodybuilders are doing.  That’s not the worst thing you could do but don’t think you should follow everything you read in those magazines. Don’t try to keep up with their workouts.  There are alot of things that go on “behind the scenes” that we’re not aware of. The models in the magazines are IFBB pros for a reason.  That’s not what we are.  I use those magazines for inspiration every now and then and at times to get a fresh idea on an old exercise.  I never try to duplicate entire workout regimens.

Another important factor when choosing a body building routine and in wanting to build more muscle is to learn to go at your own pace.  You may have role models and body builders that you want to emulate but everyone is different.  Your body will respond differently to your workouts and you have to listen to what it is telling you.  It’s great to push yourself but if you feel like you need to rest or hold back then you’d better listen.  This will help you reduce your risk of injury and prevent burnout.

Choosing a body building routine can be difficult.  It often involves trial and error to find what works for you.  Discover the tips and secrets to maximum muscle gain by clicking here now:

Build More Muscle

Body Building Routines - Building Muscle The Right Way

Saturday, October 10th, 2009

In order to maximize your muscle building efforts you need to focus the right way to do it.  Just having a body building routine doesn’t mean you will make the mass gains you are seeking.  This article focuses on tips that will help you build muscle the right way.

1.  Begin to workout on a regular basis.  Ideally working out at the same time each day helps you establish a consistent pattern and habit.

2.  Set predetermined goals regarding the number of sets, reps and the amount of weight you are lifting.  This will give you something to gauge your progress against.

3.  Strive to increase the number of reps or the amount of weight you are lifting each week.  If you can complete the current sets and reps without much effort then you need to up the resistance to challenge your muscles.

4.  Your weight increases should be in small increments.  Even 1 to 2lbs. can make a big difference.

5.  Stay consistent with your effort each workout.  This is how you will be successful in the long run.

6.  Never underestimate the importance of your dietary needs.  Your body needs a continual supply of the appropriate nutrients to meet the needs of your new muscle growth.

7.  You cannot build muscles efficiently without drinking plenty of water.  All of you bodily systems require water to function efficiently, including muscle growth.

8.  Be sure that you are eating 6 small meals a day with the correct percentage of macronutrients (carbs to proteins to fats - 50% to 60% carbs, 30% to 40% proteins, 10% to 20 % fats).  This can be adjusted and is just a guideline.

Using a good body building routine to build muscles is only the beginning.  You need a strong desire and commitment to achieve your goals.  Educate yourself in all areas of the sport.  This will help you make good choices in building muscles the right way.

Body building routines can be confusing when you are just beginning.  There is a lot of information available to you, some can help, some can hurt your cause.  Use a resource that will offer everything that you need to know about the sport of bodybuilding.  You can find it here:

Building Muscles

Body Building Routines - Muscle Building Basics

Saturday, October 10th, 2009

When you are just starting in the sport of weightlifting or body building it can be a little intimidating.  It is difficult to know what the best body building routines are and which you should be performing.  Before you decide which is right for you understanding the basics of muscle building is just as important.

The basics of muscle building involve knowing what you want to accomplish with your workouts.  This includes nutritional aspects as well as weightlifting and cardiovascular work.  Always start by setting goals, both short and long-term ones.  This will help keep you focused.

Here are some tips to practice:

1.  It is important to plan your workouts so that you have at least one day of rest in between for each muscle group you are working.

2.  Increase the amount of weight you are using when you can complete all sets and reps.

3.  Increase the number of reps per set if your current weight isn’t challenging enough.

4.  Focus on technique, not how much you can lift.

5.  Keep your workout sessions focused and intense.  Concentrate on the muscles you are working during each repetition.

6.  Performing warm up and cool down exercises can significantly reduce your risk of injury.

7.  Start eating 6 small meals a day while you are training.  This will give your body a continual supply of nutrients throughout your day to meet the new demands you are placing on it.

8.  You must change your diet as well.  Consume lean meats, complex carbs and “good” fats.

9.  Reduce the amount of simple carbs (processed sugars) and caffeine in your diet.

10. Drink plenty of water each day.  1 ounce for each pound of body weight.

Your body building routines should incorporate the above strategies.  If they do you will be certain to make gains in strength and muscle mass if you stick to it.  This is a process that takes time.  Your effort will be well worth it in the end.

Muscle building basics are an essential part of any body building workout.  You can learn all of the basics of bodybuilding including exercise and meal plans to help you pack on pounds of lean muscle while losing bodyfat.  Click here now:

Muscle Building Basics

Burn Fat Build Muscle Workout - The Facts

Friday, September 4th, 2009

What do you know about bodyfat? More importantly what do you know about burning bodyfat? Developing a lean, hard physique requires hard work and dedication both in and out of the gym.  What you put into your body for energy is as important as the exercises you are doing to sculpt your muscles.  A burn the fat, build muscle workout is essential in this process.  This article will outline three important facts that everyone should know.

Do you know the best way to lose weight? The answer is by burning body fat. Simply cutting your calories or skipping meals is not an effective way to do this.  By not eating several times a day your body’s metabolism will start to slow down, thus burning less fat.  When you do eat the body will respond by storing more fat - the exact opposite of what you want to have happen. Don’t think you can just “sweat the weight off” either.  This has to be done consistently and daily to have a positive effect.  Most of what you “sweat off” is water weight. Once you rehydrate the weight comes back on.

So burning bodyfat is the best way to lose unwanted pounds. If you are inactive for prolonged periods of time, fat cells tend to accumulate beneath your skin, making you fat.  If you increase your activity level and monitor your food intake your body will burn the fat.  As long as you keep this process up you will get thinner.

Who has more bodyfat, men or women? Unfortunately it is the women.  There is a sound reason for this though.  Women’s body’s contain a greater number of fat storing enzymes. They also have higher levels of estrogen which can multiply fat cells.  So gender can play an important role in the fat burning process.

Do you know how many calories it takes to burn a pound of fat? It’s around 4,000.  Considering how high this number is, if you are serious about losing body fat then you should realize how important it is to monitor your food intake everyday.  You should significantly limit the amount of unhealthy, saturated fats that you are consuming. That is a staple component of a burn fat, build muscle workout.

When it comes down to it, it takes time, motivation and dedication to lose weight and bodyfat.  You have to establish sound eating habits and a consistent meal plan designed to burn fat. Discover a burn the fat, build muscle workout plan that has helped thousands achieve the body of their dreams.  Click here now:

Burn Fat Now

Burn Fat Build Muscle Workout

Friday, September 4th, 2009

You hear talk about burning fat and building muscle all of the time.  We say the words but do we really understand what it means to burn fat?  Before you begin a burn the fat, build muscle workout it is important to understand what this phrase means.  This article will explain its meaning.

So what is fat? This is a tissue found in everyone’s body (even the most lean and ripped).  It can provide energy to the body.  Just about any foods that you eat will contain some degree of fat.  There are different kinds of fat.  Essential fat is used for bodily functions such as digestion or aiding in blood flow.  It can also serve as an energy source for the body. Unfortunately essential fat is relatively scarce compared to the other kind of fat - stored fat.

Stored fat is found in larger quantities than essential fat.  This type of fat if “stored” in the liver or kidneys as well as in fat cells throughout the body.  Our bodies will use stored fat and an energy supply to help us function throughout the day.  A calorie is the unit of measurement used to measure the energy that stored fat gives us.

A burn fat, build muscle workout is designed to accelerate the fat burning process that naturally takes place everyday.  Yes, some people burn fat faster than others. They may have a high metabolism or perhaps they are simply more active than others. This may help them lose bodyfat more quickly than someone who is sedentary.  For those of you that do not seem to lose weight easily you have to make a conscious effort to stimulate your body to accelerate what it is already trying to do - burn fat!

So what can you do to help your body burn more fat? Start eating the right kind of foods - foods that are designed give you energy and increase your metabolism.  Start exercising. If you are not used to exercising then just increase your activity level everyday.  Walk a little further, climb some stairs, jump up and down, move some boxes…it doesn’t really matter. Just start doing something that will stimulate your heart rate and help you burn some calories.

Do you think you know the best burn the fat, build muscle workout? If you do then why don’t you compare your notes with ours.  Maybe we can learn something.  Click here now:

Burn Fat